Argentina is the eighth-largest country on earth, and its three signature landscapes sit at the corners of it: subtropical rainforest in the north-east, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in the far south, and a European-looking capital of fifteen million people on the river between them. Nothing here is close to anything else.
This programme covers the three in twelve days — Buenos Aires, the Iguazu falls and the glaciers of Santa Cruz — with the long hops flown so the days on the ground are spent in the places themselves.
A suggested route, not a fixed departure
This itinerary is a proposal. Real Dreams builds every trip to order: there is no fixed departure date and no set group to join. What follows is the route we would recommend for a first visit that wants all three corners, and every part of it is open to change.
How travellers usually adjust it: more days in El Chalten for the Fitz Roy walks; adding Mendoza and the wine country between Buenos Aires and the south; crossing from El Calafate into Chile for Torres del Paine, which is five hours overland and pairs naturally with our Chile programme; or adding Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel at the end. Flights, buses or a mix – the trip is quoted the way you want to travel it.
Why Iguazu and Patagonia in the same trip
They are 3,000 kilometres apart and could not be less alike: one is subtropical rainforest at 25 degrees with 275 waterfalls, the other is ice at the end of the continent. Travellers sometimes ask whether to drop one. The answer is usually no, because the flights that make it possible are short and cheap by South American standards, and because seeing both is the point of coming to a country this size. The alternative – choosing one – is a trip to a region, not to Argentina.
12-day Argentina itinerary at a glance
| Day | Location | Highlight | Overnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buenos Aires | Arrival; the city runs late, so does the evening | Buenos Aires |
| 2 | Buenos Aires | Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo, La Boca, Recoleta | Buenos Aires |
| 3 | Buenos Aires | Tigre delta or an estancia; tango in the evening | Buenos Aires |
| 4 | Iguazu | Flight north; Argentine side and the Devil’s Throat | Puerto Iguazu |
| 5 | Iguazu | Brazilian panorama and the Parque das Aves | Puerto Iguazu |
| 6 | El Calafate | Flight south to Santa Cruz | El Calafate |
| 7 | Perito Moreno | Full day on the glacier balconies | El Calafate |
| 8 | Lago Argentino | Nautical safari to Upsala and Spegazzini | El Calafate |
| 9 | El Chalten | Drive north; Mirador de los Condores | El Chalten |
| 10 | Fitz Roy | Laguna de los Tres, or Laguna Capri | El Chalten |
| 11 | El Calafate | Free morning; return drive; optional Glaciarium | El Calafate |
| 12 | Departure | Flight north from El Calafate | – |
Before you travel
Timing and seasons
The two ends of this trip peak at different times. Patagonia is at its best from November to March, when the days run to sixteen hours and the boats and mountain services all operate; outside that window El Chalten in particular closes down. Iguazu is warm and wet year round, and the falls are at their most spectacular in the months after the summer rains, roughly February to April; in a dry September the flow can drop noticeably. Buenos Aires is pleasant in spring and autumn and heavy in January, when the city empties for the coast. The window that suits everything is late October to early December, or March.
What to pack
Three climates. Buenos Aires is temperate and the city dresses up in the evening – a jacket for the tango house is not out of place. Iguazu is subtropical: light clothing, a rain layer, insect repellent, and something that dries, because the walkways at the Devil’s Throat will soak you. Patagonia needs the opposite: a windproof and waterproof shell above all, layers, and boots with ankle support if you plan Laguna de los Tres. The Patagonian wind, not the temperature, is the thing people underestimate.
Documents, altitude and health
There is no altitude on this route – the highest point is a walking trail, not a pass – which makes it a good option for travellers who cannot do the Andes. Most nationalities need no visa for Argentina, but the Brazilian side of Iguazu is a separate country: check whether your passport needs a Brazilian visa and arrange it before travelling, because it cannot be sorted at the border. Passports should have six months of validity.
Money and connectivity
Argentina’s currency situation moves faster than any guide can track, and the gap between official and street rates has been wide for years. In practice: bring some US dollars in cash, pay by card where the rate is favourable, and ask us at the time of travel rather than relying on anything written months earlier. Coverage is good in Buenos Aires and the towns, patchy in the national parks, and absent on the lake crossings.
Booking questions
What is included in the price?
Eleven nights of accommodation in double occupancy, daily breakfast plus the meals listed day by day, English-speaking guides throughout, private vehicles for every excursion and transfer, the Buenos Aires city day and tango dinner, both sides of Iguazu with park entrances, the full-day Perito Moreno, the nautical safari on Lago Argentino, two guided days at El Chalten, and the Los Glaciares park fees.
Why are the domestic flights not in the price?
Because their cost swings considerably with season and how far ahead you book, and bundling them would hide that from you. They are quoted alongside the trip. Buenos Aires to Iguazu is under two hours; Iguazu to El Calafate normally connects through Buenos Aires.
Do I need a Brazilian visa?
Only for the Brazilian side of the falls on day five, and only if your nationality requires one. It is not included and must be arranged in advance. Travellers who would rather not deal with it stay on the Argentine side that day and spend it on the upper and lower circuits instead – the falls are eighty per cent Argentine, so nothing essential is lost.
Is the Fitz Roy walk compulsory?
No. Laguna de los Tres is about eight hours return with a steep final climb. The alternative to Laguna Capri is roughly four hours with the same peaks in view from further back, and it is arranged instead at no change in price.
What group size should I expect?
Your own party only. The price table is set by group size – two, three, or four and above, per person – and the per-person figure falls as the group grows.
Can this be combined with Chile?
Easily, and it is the most common extension. El Calafate to Puerto Natales is about five hours overland across the border, which puts Torres del Paine within reach; the two trips are often run as one longer journey.
How this trip sits alongside our other programmes
This itinerary belongs to our wider South America programmes. It pairs most naturally with our Chile tour from the Atacama to Torres del Paine, which starts five hours overland from where this one ends. Travellers coming for the central Andes first usually take the Peru and Bolivia tour and add Argentina afterwards.
For background before you decide, our guides cover how to plan an Argentina itinerary, the Iguazu falls in detail, El Calafate and the glaciers and the best time to visit Argentina.
